Nicolet forest's solitude attracts major pot-growing operations

By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel

Published on: 8/13/2010

Mountain — The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest looks like a giant, verdant paint stroke across Wisconsin, and its remote beauty attracts many people - canoeists, hikers, birdwatchers, campers and anglers.

But it wasn't the forest's allure that drew a group of men to this bucolic setting, it was the isolation, abundance of water and ideal growing conditions for their crop.

A crop, officials say, that an increasing number of growers are willing to resort to violence to protect.

One day after eight men were charged in federal court with a massive marijuana growing operation at several sites in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, authorities noted that in the last two weeks at least three shootouts have erupted between marijuana growers and law enforcement officers in the United States and two growers were shot to death by officers in California forests.

"These can be very dangerous situations," Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said at a news briefing in Oconto on Thursday afternoon, after four additional charges in the case brought the total to 12. "There's a lot of money on the line here."

Last year 2.5 million illegal marijuana plants were discovered in the national forest system and destroyed, said Rich Glodowski, special agent in charge for the U.S. Forest Service. Glodowski, who is based in Milwaukee, said the value of marijuana plants discovered so far in national forests is estimated between $2,500 and $6,000 each.

Though authorities are still determining the exact amount of marijuana confiscated from the Chequamegon-Nicolet forest case, Oconto County Sheriff Mike Jansen said 50,000 plants were discovered in various plots with about 300 pounds of processed marijuana. Officials also confiscated ammunition and a cache of weapons including an AK-47 assault rifle.

Van Hollen declined to say whether the defendants are members of a Mexican drug cartel; investigators are checking to see whether the men are legally in the U.S. In recent years, national forests and parks in other states have been prime targets of Mexican drug gangs and their massive marijuana growing operations.

Growing sophistication

While it's not unusual to discover illegal marijuana growing operations on public lands - it's something that's been happening for decades - the size and nature of the operations are changing dramatically. Rather than simply planting a few plants and coming back months later to harvest, a growing number of people are using sophisticated horticulture methods to ensure a bountiful and healthy crop.

"They're all over the national forests," Glodowski said. "What's changing is the business model. There appears to be more organization."

Indeed, the men charged Wednesday are accused of setting up camps near the marijuana plantations in Oconto and Menominee counties complete with sleeping bags, tents and propane stoves as well as fertilizer and industrial backpack sprayers, using a house near Seymour as a processing center, and renting a storage unit in Bonduel where they kept more than $6,000 in cash and 72 pounds of processed marijuana.

They're due to return to U.S. District Court in Green Bay for detention hearings Friday. They are charged with conspiring to manufacture and distribute more than 1,000 marijuana plants and possession with intent to deliver more than 100 marijuana plants.

The same charges were brought Thursday against Uriel Perez-Aljandres, Armando Adame-Alvarado and Jose Luis Sandoval-Mendoza. Bernabe Nunez-Guzman, who was charged Thursday with conspiracy, is described in court documents as the ringleader. The four charged Thursday are scheduled for detention hearings Tuesday.

Although authorities were tight-lipped on many details of the case, Jansen said a citizen tip started the investigation. The case is linked to a large marijuana growing operation discovered in September in Shawano County, where 8,000 plants, some as tall as 6 feet, were found at the Navarino Wildlife Area.

After officers eventually discovered nine sites in Oconto County and the Menominee Indian Reservation, they watched the areas and saw men leaving the forest carrying nylon sacks in June and July. Surveillance uncovered the processing facility in Seymour. On Tuesday and Wednesday, officials moved in and arrested the men.

Though the North Woods is packed with residents, vacationers and nature lovers in the summer, there are stretches of land in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest that are way off the beaten path.

"Do we have remote places where people can go undetected? Yes," said Paul Strong, forest supervisor of the Chequamegon-Nicolet. "The good news is - not for long. I think we'd like to be optimistic that this wouldn't go undetected for long."

Strong also said that since marijuana plants need plenty of sunlight, it's likely that forest officials will find many trees were cut down in this large growing operation. Any damage to the forest and work done to replace the trees will be forwarded to prosecutors, who could seek restitution from the defendants if they are convicted.

In the tiny, unincorporated community of Mountain, the discovery of the marijuana sites and arrests was huge news.

"Nothing that big usually happens around here," Nora Powell said Thursday as she sold gas, cigarettes, newspapers and candy at the BP gas station on Highway 64. "It was a shock to all of us. It wasn't surprising because it's pretty remote out there, but you don't expect something like that in a small town."

Everyone who stopped at the Top Knotch Hair Salon was talking about it Thursday.

"It's a small town, news travels fast," salon owner Mary Bast said.

She's wondering whether Mountain will become known for the big marijuana bust.